Giving Thanks
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
-Colossians 2:6-7
What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? I am thankful that I was able to take my Study Leave trip to the Southeast this month. I originally planned this trip as part of my Sabbatical in the summer of 2023. Since then, I have not been able to make it happen. This was the year! I have now been to all 50 states. My mother, Kriss Peterson, and I traveled to Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. We visited family and friends, the Montreat Presbyterian Conference Center, and went to several Civil Rights landmarks and museums. One of my favorite spots was a pilgrimage to the Gees Bend quilting community in Alabama.
The women of Gees Bend have been making quilts for generations. The heritage of using old clothing scraps to make something useful as a quilt has always been meaningful to me. These women who create art out of old work shirts and pants are incredible artists. They are rooted in tradition, pride, and a legacy of faith in God to provide for their needs. The Gees Bend quilters are descendants of slaves in Alabama and have held fast to their families and to God through difficult and dangerous times.
Just as the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Colossae, “…continue your lives in Christ, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” We are blessed to have strong roots of faith and tradition. From those strong roots, we overflow with thanksgiving for God’s many blessings in our lives. I am thankful for you and your faith, rooted in Christ. I am overflowing with thankfulness at God’s love and mercy.
I am also thankful to be home to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. I pray you enjoy your Thanksgiving and overflow with thankfulness.
On this Thanksgiving Day, let us not forget to start by saying thank you to the Creator and Source of all for which we have to be thankful. Loving God, we thank you for those with whom we spend this day. Thank you for family, friends, and strangers. We thank you for the food we share and remember those who do not have enough to eat. May today’s feast inspire us to share what you have given us with others. As we enjoy a day of relaxation and rest, we ask your blessing on those working today–the people working to keep us safe and healthy, the people working so others can eat, and the people working because they desperately need the money. We pray for families and friends who wish they could be together today. We pray for people who struggle to feel thankful on this day. God, we ask that you give us thankful hearts, not just today when it is easy to be thankful, buy everyday. Amen.
